India v England, player ratings: Joe Root's men once again found wanting in trial by spin
England were on the wrong end of cricketing carnage in Ahmedabad as they succumbed to the embarrassment of a two-day defeat by India.
When Rohit Sharma clubbed the winning six to seal a 10-wicket home win under lights it ended a dizzying day of activity that added up to a hopelessly uneven contest between bat and pink ball, but also a deserved victor.
Two-day finishes are rare for a reason - there have been only six others in the last 75 years - and it took a mixture of fine bowling, deeply-flawed batting and a pitch unsuitable for long-form matches to add to that list.
To dismiss any of the three factors would be myopic and unhelpful, but while 17 wickets in the first two sessions made for high-octane entertainment it was a mostly unedifying spectacle.
England have been frustrated by the surfaces and some of the umpiring but could hardly complain about the result having lost all 20 wickets for 193 and lasted less than 80 overs across two innings.
ENGLAND
Zak Crawley 5
Batted beautifully at the start, putting away good and bad balls from seamers and spinners alike, but did not last long once Axar Patel found his length. Made a good ball look unplayable in the second innings with poor footwork.
Dom Sibley 2
Dubious honour of the only Englishman dismissed by seam. His game against spin is so limited that against a high-quality side like India he can only hang in. Can only hope he learns from this tour.
Jonny Bairstow 1
Must be the last batsman to be rotated. Went home after two Tests in nick, came back and looked completely bamboozled in both innings to record a pair. Once again his Test career hanging in the air.
Joe Root 6
Points mainly for his bowling. When England’s finest player of spin is struggling to lay a bat on the ball there are questions about the pitch. Will need all his mental resilience to lift himself and the team.
Ben Stokes 3
India have silenced the biggest gun of all and it will cost England the series. Others feed off Stokes' success. Not this time. Perhaps a hint in the second innings of a better, more proactive method against Ravi Ashwin.
Ollie Pope 2
A good player of spin at home but looking out of his depth in India and he has to go back and re-examine his method with coach Jonathan Trott. Beaten twice by straight balls from Ashwin, footwork non-existent.
Ben Foakes 4
Smart keeping, as you expect, and a tight defence but he doesn't really look like making any significant runs or hurting India.
Jofra Archer 2
Clearly a game for the spinners but never really threatened with the ball, even if he was the only England seamer to take a wicket. Batting at eight must have given him a nosebleed.
Jack Leach 6
Bowled well, much fewer bad deliveries and has earned India's respect. It's been a good winter for Leach and no question he is England's No 1 spinner now.
Stuart Broad 2
Never in the game. Chris Woakes should have played for his extra batting, although it would not have made much difference. Another lean tour to India for Broad.
James Anderson 3
Gave a bit of control on the second morning to help Leach get wickets but quickly ran out of road in a match for spinners.
INDIA
Rohit Sharma 9
Aptly it was Sharma who sealed the victory with a six. For the second consecutive Test, he was the top scorer in the game, his regal batting seeming to be on a different pitch.
Shubman Gill 6
Snared by Archer again in the first innings but looked in pristine touch as India breezed to their paltry second-innings target, boding well for the final Test.
Cheteshwar Pujara 2
His Test was confined to four balls. Pujara has a fantastic record against left-arm spin in Tests, yet Leach has now snared him three times.
Virat Kohli 7
Unremarkable-sounding 27 was the third-highest score of the match. Captaincy can seldom have been easier than with Ashwin and Patel to unleash on this wicket.
Ajinkya Rahane 3
Has now only passed 10 once in five innings this series, and never seemed assured during his 25-ball stay at the crease. But will retain his place in the final Test.
Rishabh Pant 3
A rare quiet Test: a solitary run and two catches, with India's spinners seldom needing his support to dislodge England's batsmen.
Ravichandran Ashwin 9
Continued his brilliant series with seven wickets in the match, extending his hold over Stokes in the process. Brisk 17 was useful amid the batting carnage too.
Washington Sundar 5
Selected to balance the side, was limited to four balls - still enough to claim a wicket - and was bowled for a duck by Root.
Axar Patel 10
A dream Test in his home state on a wicket tailor-made to his skills. Has now taken 18 wickets at nine apiece this series: who needs Ravi Jadeja?
Jasprit Bumrah 5
Seldom are his cocktail of gifts less important: only called upon to bowl six overs in the Test, such was the dominance of spin bowling.
Ishant Sharma 6
Bounce from his ninth ball of the match dismissed Sibley to take him to 300 Test wickets. A spare part thereafter, but did hit the first six of the Test.
